Mark Udall: “I rise today as a firm supporter of providing a free and quality education to students with and without disabilities…”

“I rise today as a firm supporter of providing a free and quality education to students with and without disabilities, but also in opposition to H.R. 1350, the Reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). When IDEA was initially enacted into law, Congress determined that the cost of educating a student with a disability was, on average, twice the cost of educating a student without a disability. In the original legislation, the Federal Government required States to provide an education to students with disabilities, but also agreed to help states fund the "extra cost" of educating disabled children by 40 percent of the total cost. It has been 28 years since the original implementation of IDEA, and Congress has yet to appropriate the full 40 percent to states for their special education programs. For 28 years, State and local governments have struggled to fulfill their obligation to disabled students with less than half of the funding that is necessary for the task. This year, Congress again had the opportunity to fulfill the Federal Government's obligation.”